The Latest Headlines You Need To Know

With no end in sight to the partial government shutdown, and the possibility that 800,000 federal workers will miss another paycheck at the end of this week, the Trump Administration reported Monday that ‘unscheduled absences’ by TSA airport screeners hit 10 percent on Sunday, with that number jumping over the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, as security screeners continue to work without pay because of a battle between the President and Democrats in Congress over funding for a border wall. “TSA experienced a national rate of 10 percent of unscheduled absences compared to a 3.1 percent rate one year ago on the same weekday,” the Transportation Security Administration reported, again using the same language in a daily news release that “many employees are reporting that they are not able to report to work due to financial limitations.” The number of absent screeners had held around 6 percent much of last week, but the TSA reported the number of screeners not showing up for work as planned hit 7 percent on Friday, 8 percent on Saturday, and then 10 percent on Sunday. . @TSA says that 10 percent of its workforce had an 'unscheduled absence' Sunday, compared to just 3.1 percent on the same day last year; that means more than 3,000 TSA agents called off #GovernmentShutdown — Gabe Gutierrez (@gabegutierrez) January 21, 2019 The TSA said in a news release that ‘99.9 percent of passengers waited less than 30 minutes’ to go through airport screening on Sunday. But on Saturday, excessive sick calls by TSA airport screeners forced officials at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to use emergency plans to deal with the lack of airport screeners, closing a major security checkpoint early at the airport. That major checkpoint for Southwest Airlines flights wasn’t closed for just a few hours – but remained shut down on Sunday and Monday as well, because of a lack of security screeners. “It is important to clarify that it is not unusual for TSA and BWI Marshall to open or close one of our security checkpoints,” the airport said in a written statement. “This will have minimal, if any, impact on passengers and no impact on airport operations,” the BWI statement read. . @TSA in collaboration with airport authorities &amp; servicing airlines will be exercising a contingency plan at @BWI_Airport due to excessive callouts. Checkpoint A will be closing at 5:35pm. Passengers should arrive early for evening flights. Contact airport &amp; airlines for updates — TSA (@TSA) January 19, 2019 Earlier this month, press reports of airport screeners calling in sick because of the government shutdown – and the lack of pay for screeners – was denounced as ‘fake news’ by a top Department of Homeland Security spokesman, as well as the White House. Like other federal workers, TSA screeners have been coming to work since the partial government shutdown started on December 22; they were paid as scheduled on December 29, but missed a check on January 11, and a second check may not be paid on January 25.

A 9-year-old boy driving an all-terrain vehicle crashed over the weekend, killing a 58-year-old passenger in Osceola County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. >> Read more trending news Troopers said the boy was trying to avoid another ATV Saturday on 8 Mile Ranch Road when the vehicle he was operating hit a brim and overturned onto Laura Bizzell, of Avon Park. The boy suffered minor injuries, but Bizzell died, according to the FHP. The other ATV driver, Samuel Christmas, 53, suffered minor injuries. Authorities continue to investigate the incident.

Two people were injured Sunday night after a police car struck them as they lay in a Florida roadway, apparently to watch the lunar eclipse, according to multiple reports. >> Read more trending news The incident happened just before midnight Sunday near the Apoxee Trail, a 2.5-mile nature trail in West Palm Beach, according to WPBF and city officials. A police officer was patrolling the trail Sunday in a Ford Explorer when he struck a man and a woman, both 24, while traveling 5 mph, WPEC and WPBF reported. At the time, the area was extremely dark, according to officials. Police told WPBF that investigators believe the pair was lying in the road to photograph and watch the super blood wolf moon lunar eclipse. They were taken to a hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, according to the news station. The officer who struck the pair, who was not identified, was placed on paid administrative leave as police investigate the incident, WPEC reported. Authorities continue to investigate.

Speaking at a commemoration of what would have been her father’s 90th birthday, Rev. Dr. Bernice King criticized the Trump administration Monday for misquoting her father’s works “to suit our own purposes.” >> Read more trending news King’s remarks were aimed at Trump’s border wall push and comments by Vice President Mike Pence, who during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, said: “One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was ‘Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.” “You think of how he changed America. He inspired us to change through the legislative process to become a more perfect union,” Pence said on the show. “That’s exactly what President Trump is calling on the Congress to do. Come to the table in the spirit of good faith. We’ll secure our border, we’ll reopen the government and we’ll move our nation forward.” >> Reflecting on MLK: 'The baddest brother of the 20th century' On Monday, during remarks at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Bernice King said: “If we really want to make real the promises of democracy, now is the time on this King holiday to stop quoting King out of context and misquoting him to suit our own purposes.” The Ebenezer audience applauded warmly. Bernice King also called for action on problems facing the country, ranging from the partial government shutdown affecting federal workers’ livelihood to the resurgence of white supremacist ideologies and voter access problems. “We are in a state emergency because of our humanitarian crises, and it’s not at our southern border,” she said. “The concern for human welfare is being threatened.” “When prejudice and bigotry are emboldened…. when schools continue to be unsafe spaces because of impotent gun control laws…. this is a humanitarian crisis and we are in a state of emergency,” King said. >> Delta contributes grant funding to re-open MLK national park During remarks at the service, U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., called for reflection on King’s words, saying: “He often reminded us that what united us is far greater than what divides us.” The service came on the holiday weekend when the Martin Luther Jr. National Historical Park reopened to visitors after a closure due to the partial federal shutdown. The reopening was funded with the help of a $83,500 grant from Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines. Reopened for Martin Luther King Jr. weekend through the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, are the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where King was co-pastor, the home where Martin Luther King Jr. was born, the park’s visitor center and historic Fire Station No. 6. “We ought to be concerned that the cradle of the civil rights movement is also the capital of income inequality in this country today,” said Rev. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church.

A man was hospitalized Sunday after a police chase ended with him jumping off an overpass, according to officials. >> Read more trending news The incident started around 5 p.m. Sunday near 176th Street and Canyon Road in Spanaway when Pierce County deputies tried to stop a car that they say was being driven recklessly. Officials said the driver fled and police began a pursuit. During that time, the driver hit at least one vehicle, authorities said. The chase continued in the eastbound lanes of State Route 512 and onto the northbound lanes of State Route 167, where authorities said the suspect got caught up in traffic. Officials said the driver struck cars on an overpass. His car became so damaged it would no longer run, so he got out of the vehicle and jumped off the overpass, authorities said. Police said the driver fell at least 75 feet to the brush-covered ground below, near Valley Avenue East. Officials found him with multiple broken bones and a collapsed lung. He was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, where he underwent surgery, authorities said. The other people whose cars were hit suffered minor injuries, according to officials. Authorities said the suspect will face charges including eluding authorities and eight counts of hit-and-run. ﻿The Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.

Questions and Answers on the GOP health reform bill in Congress

Posted: 4:00 am Friday, March 10th, 2017

By Jamie Dupree

As Republicans moved ahead in Congress this week with a plan to overhaul the Obama health law, GOP leaders set out an ambitious schedule over the next few weeks that could see a showdown on the House floor later this month over a health care reform plan that has the strong backing of President Trump.

“We promised to repeal and replace Obamacare, and now we are one step closer to giving families relief from this collapsing law,” said House Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday.

As I reported on the health care story this week, it quickly became apparent that many voters aren’t quite sure about the procedural details involved in this legislative effort – so let’s try to answer a few of those questions about what happens next on health care.

1. What has happened so far in the Congress. If you weren’t paying close attention, you might have missed the Monday night rollout of the House Republican health bill. The GOP wasted no time in getting that plan before two committees on Wednesday, and after burning the midnight oil, both the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the plan on a party line vote. “Next the bill goes to the Budget Committee as part of an open, transparent process,” Speaker Paul Ryan said. That will be next week.

Budget Committee markup on O'care replacement is next Wednesday, March 15, per committee.

2. Why don’t we know the cost of the GOP program? In the rush to get their bill hammered out and through two House committees, Republicans did not wait for a “score” from the Congressional Budget Office. So, right now, not only don’t we have an estimate on how this will impact the federal deficit, but there also are not official figures on how many people would gain or lose health insurance coverage. It looks like those figures will come out next week, about the time that the GOP bill goes to the House Budget Committee. Critics argued that Republicans probably won’t like the CBO report.

Not sure why #GOP is so intent on voting on their health plan before the CBO can analyze costs. Maybe Republicans are afraid of the results?

3. Republicans going with a three phase health care plan. There will be three parts to the Republican effort to overhaul the Obama health law, and this is where it starts to get a bit confusing for those who don’t eat, drink and breathe parliamentary procedure in the Congress. Part 1 for the GOP is the bill that went through two committees this week, in the process known as “budget reconciliation.” Part 2 will be regulations and rules that can be changed by the Trump Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services that impact health insurance. And Part 3 will be all sorts of other legislative ideas on health that don’t qualify for the reconciliation bill – but those could face a filibuster in the Senate.

GOP is leaving out important pieces from the health bill to avoid a filibuster. Does that sound like good governance to you? Call your reps.

4. Why are there going to be two different bills? As my old across-the-street neighbor Jane points out in her above tweet, the GOP is leaving certain things out of the bill that is moving through Congress right now. That’s because the rules of “budget reconciliation” don’t allow the GOP to include items like, selling insurance across state lines, full repeal of the individual and employer mandates, and much more. All of that has to go in the regular bill, which would need 60 votes to get past any filibuster by Democrats in the Senate. Let me say it again – the first bill just needs a regular majority, the second one can be blocked by filibuster. The first bill is more limited, but the second one can include anything related to health policy.

5. Now we get to the false story lines of recent days. I’ve heard it all since Monday. “The Democrats passed their bill entirely by reconciliation.” No, they did not. “The Democrats didn’t need 60 votes when they passed Obamacare.” Yes, they did. “Why are the rules different for Republicans?” The rules are not different for the GOP health care plan. The playing field is the same. The Democrats had to operate under the same rules and restrictions in the Congress. The biggest difference between 2009 and 2017 is simple – the Democrats had 60 votes in the Senate. The Republicans only have 52. So, the GOP can pass the reconciliation bill, but they’ll need help from Democrats on a broader health care policy measure.

6. The Democrats passed two health care bills. I don’t blame most of you for not remembering this, but Democrats had to pass two bills to do their health care plan in 2009 and 2010. First, the Senate mustered 60 votes to overcome a GOP filibuster, and on Christmas Eve 2009 approved what turned into the Affordable Care Act. Then, after they lost their 60 vote Senate super majority when Scott Brown won in Massachusetts early the next year, they had to come up with another plan. So, Democrats pushed through a budget reconciliation measure that made additional – but limited – health care changes. That bill was titled, the “Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.” Both of those plans made it through Congress in March of 2010, and President Obama signed them into law. The Republicans are basically trying to do the same thing in 2017.

7. The GOP repeal bill in 2015 was not a full repeal. I don’t care how many times you try to tell me otherwise. The 2015 bill that was approved in both the House and Senate, and then vetoed by President Obama was NOT a full repeal. It was a reconciliation bill. You cannot have a full repeal of the Obama health law under budget reconciliation. It cannot happen. It did not happen for the GOP. That was not a full repeal. So, when you hear conservative groups and conservative Republicans say they should just pass the 2015 bill – sure, the Congress could do that – but it is not a full repeal of the Obama health law.

8. But can’t the GOP overrule the Senate Parliamentarian? I have heard this one way too many times already. This idea is sort of the nuclear option of the health care debate. Change the Parliamentarian, or just have the chair overrule the Parliamentarian, and change the precedents of the Senate. That means you don’t have to follow the limited rules under budget reconciliation, so you don’t have to follow the Byrd Rule, and anything can go into a reconciliation bill. Technically, that could happen – though I find it hard to believe that would be an option for the GOP in the Senate. But there are Republican members of the House and conservative groups pushing exactly that, raising the hopes of their supporters. I can only imagine their reaction if it was Democrats using that strategy.

10. So what is the time line here?Let’s give you an idea of what we may see on the GOP health care bill:

+ This week brought approval of the GOP plan in two House committees.

+ Week of March 13 – House Budget Committee votes on GOP health care reconciliation bill. And we probably get a CBO score.

+ Week of March 20 – The bill heads to the House Rules Committee, which sets the ground rules for debate on the floor. In the search for votes at this point, the Rules Committee could make some late changes, known as a “Manager’s Amendment.” (When the Democrats made late changes like that in 2009, Republicans hit the roof.)

+ You could have a vote in the House that week, or the week of March 27, depending on how much arm-twisting is needed before the Easter break.

+ The week of March 20 and/or March 27, you could also see House action on the “second” health care bill, which would include all sorts of health care policy ideas that are not included in the reconciliation bill. The GOP leadership can then turn to any fence sitters and say, “See? You voted to repeal and replace.”

+ If the House approves the health care bill, it goes right to the Senate – where it might need a little more work before a floor vote, as some Republicans have signaled their opposition.

My bottom line right now? I know there are a lot of Republicans raising red flags about the bill. But the same thing happened in 2009 and 2010. And the Democrats pushed it through.

Chances are the GOP can only get the first bill through both the House and Senate, while a filibuster might stop a broader health policy measure. But who knows?